Portal Knights: The Series (Character Shorts)
by zachsaur94
Summary: A series of clips that show the main characters' lives before the events of the main story. (Disclaimer: I do not own anything belonnging to Portal Knights.)
1. Caroline the Mage

(Author's Note) Some of the islands in this fanfic and the main story will be named after lands and places from other media and mythology.

* * *

Caroline the Mage

In the endless void that is the skies of Elysia, with scattered islands dotting the air, a large island floated calmly. Upon the island looked like a village with a large castle in the center that shined like a diamond. At the top of it was something that gave a glowing blue aura, with several others seen all around the village and along the edge of the island. There were also floating green crystals of different sizes scattered around it, as well as metal-looking rocks. the only seen plant life were small bushes carrying purple berries.

This land was known as Thylisia, which is a kingdom found in the crystal lands of Elysia. It is governed by a council of six powerful mages, each one representing one of the six elemental forms of magic in the realm. Most of the people spend the day going about their daily lives with the help of their magic.

While many of the houses looked simple by regular standards, there were six that were considered unique. They were found in six different corners of the village and resembled small castles. But what made them unique was that they were each mostly made with a different kind of crystal block. These were the homes of the six members of the council that governed the village.

In the castle made of golden crystal, A little girl was sneaking around. She had light blue eyes and dark blue, shoulder-length hair. She was also seen in plain old blue mage robes. This is Caroline, a young mage in training.

She soon came to a door in the hall and quietly opened it to enter a small room that housed a small alter, upon which sat a small book. Looking around to see no one was here, Caroline tip-toed over to the alter and opened the book to see the contents contained instructions on how to cast spells, as well as recipes for different kinds of potions and elixirs. It was a spell book.

Suddenly, the sound of a loud hoot made her jump in fright. She turned around to see it came from a white owl that sat on one of the shelves.

"You scared me, Harry." she sighed with relief before taking a look at the book, stopping on a page that looked like a recipe for a potion she's never heard before. the top of it had a picture of a witch flying on her broomstick and the name of the potion. "The Sky Potion. A potion that makes people fly."

"Caroline? Where are you?" called a voice from outside the room.

"Uh-oh, it's Grandma." Caroline whispered in fright and quickly closed the book. Coming over to Harry and taking him on her shoulder, she then silently made her way to the door and opened it just a crack to see if the coast was clear. Unfortunately, the person was standing just outside the door, giving a calm glare at the girl. She had yellow eyes, fair skin and short silver hair, Her attire consisted of a robe in a mix of white and gold and she held a staff with a yellow crystal in her hand. This is Elora, the council mage representing the element of light, and Caroline's grandmother.

"Uh... Hi, Grandma." Caroline greeted with a nervous tone in her voice, knowing full well she was in trouble for going into her private study without permission.

"Caroline, I've told you many times before." Elora said pulling her granddaughter and her owl out and shutting the door behind them. "My private study and my spellbook are off limits."

"I don't understand you, Granny." Caroline pouted, "Sometimes you get mad because I don't feel like learning magic. And other times you tell me not to look at your book when I do feel like learning."

"The problem is that you're trying to learn too much in a short time. And I prefer your studies be done under my supervision." Elora lectured before taking a calming breath so she could talk to her granddaughter in a more soft tone. "Caroline, I know you want to be a great mage, but no one manages to achieve that in one week. You just need to be patient, and your time will eventually come."

Her grandmother's words were able to get to her, as Caroline turned her face away and faced the ground with a regretful look. "You're right. I'm sorry, Grandma." she apologized. "I guess it was mostly because I let my curiosity of what you had in those pages get the best of me."

"Oh, it's alright, my dear." Elora said embracing her granddaughter in a hug. "I remember what that's like."

"I'm wondering if people see this in everyone that's apprentice to members of this kingdom's Mage Council." Caroline said, causing them both to chuckle before mention of the council made Elora remember something.

"Oh, that reminds me." she said getting up. "I was calling you because I received a letter in the mail." She reached into her robe and pulled out a letter to show it. "My fellow council members request my presence at the Crystal Tower."

Caroline rolled her eyes with a smile, knowing full well that she's still too young for her grandma to trust her to be left alone in the castle and not get into mischief. With that, the two mages and their pet owl immediately headed to the front door and out of the castle.

* * *

While out on their way to the tower, the two took a look at some serious stuff going on with the village. Everyone seemed to be well calm with themselves, much to Caroline's joy. There were people buying goods from the marketplace and other kids playing in the fields, either by magic of by normal means. Caroline even noticed an airship coming into port. Ever since the world was shattered by the Fracture, most kingdoms have relied on the use of newly developed airships.

Caroline soon noticed a small number of mages and warriors boarding the airship, and her heart felt full of worry. "Are they going off to fight the Hollow King?" she asked her grandma.

"With the crates full of weapons and cannons loaded on the ship, it seems likely." Elora answered, her voice sounding worried also. Many of their mages and their armies have gone off many times than she could count to try and fight off the Hollow King, with most of them not returning.

Caroline hung her head in sorrow. "It's times like this I wish the Portal Knights were still with us." she whined. She had been told stories about the Portal Knights, powerful heroes who defended the portals that were found all around Elysia, like the one in the small shrine that stood on a small rock split off from the main island, being only connected by a wooden bridge.

"I know, dear. But the reality is they're not here anymore." Elora said to her. "So we have to handle this ourselves."

* * *

They soon came upon the Crystal Palace which, true to its name, was made of all six crystal types. This was meant to represent the union between the six elements.

Caroline and her grandmother entered the front gates and navigated the halls until they found the Council Chambers, where the other five members of the council were already there. There was Ignius, the High Mage of Fire, an elderly man dressed in a robe as red as fire rubies with a helmet styled to look like fire. Gaia, the High Mage of Nature, a little girl with brown skin and forest green hair, dressed in a leaf-like robe. Stormos, the High Mage of Lightning, a man with tan skin and white hair and a beard, as well as a god-like physique. He was dressed in a dark blue toga with a thunderbolt on the front and black sandals. Glacia, the High Mage of Ice, a woman with ice blue hair dressed in a robe with a high collar shaped like a snowflake. And Travis, the High Mage of Dark, a young man with dark hair and a goatee wearing a black sorcerer outfit.

"Elora, so glad you could make it." Ignius greeted warmly, with all but Travis nodding in agreement.

"Sorry for the delay." Elora apologized. "But I couldn't leave my granddaughter alone. You understand." The rest of the council muttered in understanding, except Travis, who only felt annoyed by it.

"Of course, we were all kept waiting because of your little pet of an apprentice." he spat, with Elora flashing annoyed looks for his insult about her granddaughter, and Caroline for calling her a pet. Fortunately, the dark mage got his comeuppance for it, thanks to Glacia using her ice staff to hit him with a chunk of ice.

"Travis, respect!" she ordered, while Elora smiled at her for standing up to him, and Caroline subtly sticking her tongue out at him.

Elora then walked over to her yellow crystal throne to take her seat. "So, what was it you wanted to show me?" she asked her fellow mages.

Ignius turned to Gaia and gave a gentle nod. The Mage of Nature then pulled out a small box and placed it on the table's spinning platform, turning it so the box would face the Mage of Light. Elora then took a peek and gasped in awe. Inside were six cubic stones that glowed in pure white.

"Are these what I think they are?" she asked in awe.

"Yes. They are Portal Stones." Stormos answered. "With these, we'll be able to activate one of the portals and be able to join up with others willing to help us in the war against the Hollow King."

"And maybe have a fighting chance against the Hollow King and his knights." Caroline said joyfully, everyone nodding in agreement, though Travis didn't look all that excited. A thought suddenly came into Caroline's mind. "But wait. If we activate the portals, won't that also allow those Hollow Knights and other monsters to invade our homeland?" she asked, only to receive a slap to the cheek from Travis for no reason.

"Children shouldn't ask stupid questions, especially when they're not spoken to!" Travis scolded, only to receive a slap to the face from Elora for striking her granddaughter.

"And one shouldn't hit a child, especially when they ask a question that makes sense!" she growled before calmly turning to her granddaughter. "No, Caroline, we don't have to worry. After all, we have the Wards of Protection keeping the dark forces from setting foot on our lands. They couldn't use the portals to bypass them even if they tried."

Caroline smiled at this as he grandma turned to talk to her fellow mages. "Thank you for sharing this with me." she said to them. "Call me when the time comes to use them." With that, she and her granddaughter and owl turned and left the chamber. All the others gave approving nods, except Travis, who only sneered.

* * *

As they walked out the front gates, Caroline rubbed her cheek, still feeling pain from being slapped by Travis.

"Don't worry, my child. I'll make an ointment to help dull the pain." Elora told her, while Harry perched on Caroline's shoulder and nuzzled her face to help cheer her up.

"That Travis is such a jerk." Caroline mumbled. "What the last Mage of Dark saw in him, I'll never know."

"We all don't know why she picked him to be next in line for the spot. But we try to put up with him because we outnumber him and can easily subdue him if her ever steps out of line." Elora told her.

Caroline then decided to ask about the council's plan. "Do you really think joining up with other kingdoms will really make a difference in our fight with the Hollow King?"

"I don't really know, Caroline." Elora expressed her own doubt. "In all our repeated attacks on the leader of the Hollow Legion, we haven't been able to make a dent in his armor. But we have to at least try." This made Caroline feel worried about the future of Elysia should they fail to find the Dark Lord's weakness. Harry felt this and nuzzled her face more to make her happy.

Elora smiled at her granddaughter and tried to reassure her. "Don't worry, my child. I know one day we'll triumph over that monster, just like the Portal Knights of legend. After all, no creature is invincible, I'm sure the Hollow King has a weakness we'll eventually find and strike at."

Caroline let out a smile in response to her grandmother's comforting words, Elora giving one back. "Come on. Let's go home for dinner."


	2. Eric the Warrior

Eric the Warrior

The skies were shown to be peaceful in another part of the shattered world. This region is part of the kingdom of Nerath. And on one of the grassland islands of this kingdom was a small house. Outside, a boy with blonde hair and brown eyes was seen playing fetch with a brown dog. This is Eric, a young boy who wishes to one day become a warrior.

"Ready, Leo?" he asked his pet as he got ready to throw the stick, the dog jumping with excitement. "And... fetch!" Eric gave the stick a hard throw, and Leo made a dash for it, quickly getting ahead and jumping up to catch it in his mouth. Leo then returned to Eric and dropped the stick at his feet, panting happily.

"Good boy." he said rubbing the dog's head with a smile on his face. Leo gave a friendly bark to his master.

The two then noticed a figure coming over to them, one they seem to recognize. He was a middle-aged man with a short grey beard and wore heavy armor. He looked to be carrying something wrapped in a bundle. This is Uther, a seasoned warrior and weaponsmith and Eric's uncle.

"Hey uncle." Eric greeted. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Indeed I did." Uther replied before turning to enter the house, where he placed the package on the table and unwrapped it so his nephew could see what was inside. It was a bunch of ores of different kinds, from copper to gold.

"Wow." Eric said in awe, having never seen this many kinds of ore at one time. "How'd you get this many ore?"

"Well, the village I helped protect from that grunt attack had a local blacksmith." Uther explained. "And when they wanted to express their gratitude for saving them, he gave me this bag of ore."

"Really? Cool." Eric said picking up a piece of iron ore. "You think I'll be able to have a real sword someday?"

"Maybe, if you feel like resuming your training soon." Uther teased taking the iron from Eric's hand and walking over to the furnace. "I want my nephew to know how to defend himself, after all. That's why I made you my squire."

Eric chuckled at that before turning back to the pile of ore, feeling that he knew what plans his uncle had for it. "Ya plan on turning these into metal bars to make new weapons with?" he asked sarcastically.

"I think you know the answer to that question already." Uther said chuckling alongside his nephew before Eric decided to ask another question. "Who're you planning on giving these weapons to?"

That question made Uther pause at what he was doing and quickly turned his head left and right like he was making sure no one else was here to listen and quickly closed the doors and windows to make absolutely sure of that before kneeling down before Eric to tell him something.

"Can you and Leo keep a secret, Eric?" Eric nodded and Leo barked as a way to say yes. "I'm actually planning on giving these weapons to the Warrior's Guild to help them in their fight against the Hollow King."

"Ah, so you're planning on going behind the queen's back and doing what she specifically told the kingdom not to do, again." Eric said slyly.

"Yep." Uther replied. "Even though the queen has no intention of helping in the fight, both me and my friend Rudyard know we shouldn't stand around and do nothing while that beast of darkness and his Hollow Legion run wild ravaging all that remains of Elysia."

"And that's why your old friend became the guildmaster of the Warrior's Guild." Eric praised while looking at some of the weapons his uncle already made. "By the way, how is he? I heard the Hollow King led an attack on the castle not too long ago."

"Oh, he's fine." Uther answered. "It takes more than a surprise attack to bring that battle ax down. And while he's training new recruits, he's also working to try and rebuild most of the castle." He placed some iron ore and coal into the furnace and calmly walked over to take a seat next to his nephew. "Trust me, Eric. He knows what he's doing."

"Yeah. If he didn't, they wouldn't have made him Guildmaster, now would they?" Both Eric and Uther chuckled at that.

The two and their dog were soon alerted to the sound of knocking on the front door, and Uther went to see who it was. Opening the door, he saw it was two men dressed in golden armor. They were the kingdom's royal guard, and Uther knew that when they showed up, it meant the queen was trying to stick her nose in his business again.

"Can I help you two with something?" he asked begrudgingly.

"The queen wants a word with you." one of the guards said with a scowl.

* * *

Uther found himself being escorted to the castle by the royal guards, with Eric in tow due to his presence being requested for some reason, as well as Leo due to his bond with the boy. They soon came to the castle, where Eric saw that the place was being renovated to be made out of all the different kinds of metals in Elysia.

"Is this what she has you and every other metalbending craftsman doing instead of using them to make weapons?" he whispered to his uncle. who nodded in response. "Yeah, so she can better ensure her own survival."

The two soon found themselves in an iron-plated throne room. The place had a copper ceiling held up by four pillars of titanium. At the end of the room, a golden throne sat in front of a golden wall. There sat a teenage girl with long blonde hair tied in a ponytail and a golden tiara atop her head. She also wore a red and white dress and light blue shoes. The is Chloe, the recently new queen of Nerath.

"Hello, your majesty." Uther greeted with a bow.

"Uther, there are rumors that have come to my attention that you're making weapons and supplying them to those fools who're trying to fight the Hollow King." Chloe said annoyed.

"What?" Uther said, pretending to feel outraged at such rumors. "Where did such ridiculous stories ever come from?"

"I heard from the other metal-workers that you haven't provided as much metal-plated blocks as them. It led me to become suspicious." the queen replied with a glare. "So tell me, have you been making weapons and shipping them off to those who are getting involved in a futile fight, like those fools in the Warriors Guild?"

"Hey! The warriors of the guild are not fools!" Eric called out, angry that the queen just insulted her idol order of fighters. "They're the best warriors in all of Elysia!" His rant was halted when his uncle stepped in to stop him from going too far. "Eric, easy. You don't want to do something you'll regret later."

"The greatest warriors? Ha!" Chloe scoffed. "You call them the greatest when they and all the others that side with them can't see the reality. The Hollow King cannot be defeated. Many have tried and failed to stop him and his Hollow Knights. Even my own father fell at his hands." she said with tears forming in her eyes.

"Of which we're all in mourning." Uther said with his head lowered in sorrow, Eric and Leo as well. The old king was well-respected by the people, because he, like all those that still fight the Hollow Legion, believed they could be defeated. But when he went to intercept his attack on an undefended island three years ago, he was easily subdued and killed.

Chloe eventually found this meeting pointless and decided to brush off the rumors. "Never mind, But know that if I find the rumors to be true, you two will be locked up in my new golden dungeon as punishment for disobeying my orders." she then threatened, Leo growling in response to her threat.

With that, Chloe gave a wave of dismissal and told the old blacksmith and his nephew and dog to leave her castle.

* * *

"Man, why does Chloe have to be such a coward?" Eric said annoyed.

"Don't be too hard on her, nephew." Uther said calmly. "She only got like that when her father died. Remember, Eric, the king was a skilled swordsman, whom no one could defeat in all the years he sat on the throne of Nerath. So when word reached Chloe that the Hollow King had triumphed over him..."

"It must've really shook her." Eric said, felling a bit sorry for Chloe after what she went through. "I guess when you lose someone close to you, you tend to feel scared and vulnerable, huh?" His uncle nodded in agreement. As soon as they were clear of the guards' hearing, Eric then decided to change the subject.

"So do you still plan on making those weapons and sending them to the Warrior's Guild and all the other regions still in the fight?"

"Of course." Uther replied. "Because like I said, even though Queen Chloe doesn't want to have any part of it doesn't mean we can't lend aid in any way we deem fit. She believes the Hollow King is unstoppable. But many people, such as her father, believe the Hollow King has a weakness we haven't found yet."

Eric felt himself smiling at that. "Yeah, and when they do find it, the Hollow King is goin' down!" he said confidently as he looked over the horizon at the edge of the island.


	3. Strag the Ranger

Strag the Ranger

All was quiet in a remote snowy island, save for a small castle that rang with chattering. Outside, a single reptilian creature known as a Saurian patrolled the perimeter with a single club in hand. The guard surveyed the area behind the castle to make sure it was secure. All seemed calm to him... before something struck him in the chest and sent him lying on his back motionless.

Inside the castle, many more Saurian warriors were seen everywhere. Roughhousing with each other, throwing knives at a target, even drinking at the table, as if they were celebrating. A large cage was seen in a corner, with a man locked inside with his hands bound.

Finally, the leader of the Saurian forces, recognizable from the menacing cape he wore that looked different from the ones the others were wearing, came to the center and spoke at the top of his lungs, "We have fought and killed many worthy fighters!" Everyone cheered at that as he listed down all they fought. "We battled Vikings, Amazons, Pirates, even some of the soldiers from various kingdoms!" The crowd cheered even louder at that. "But..." the leader silenced them before turning to the man in the cage. "We have never... had the pleasure... of killing... a member of the Ranger's Guild." he said before turning back to his comrades. "Do any of you know who we have here?" he asked.

"I think it's obvious to everyone who we have here, boss." one of the Saurians answered. "This is Mathyis, the greatest marksman the guild ever produced."

"They say he can hit a moving target from great distances." another one said.

* * *

Outside, a mysterious figure approached the castle from one of the walls. Looking up, he saw how high it was and pulled out a grappling hook. The figure quickly hurled it up, where it caught onto the corner of the wall, but also alerting a guard patrolling it.

* * *

The Saurian leader quickly unsheathed his sword, getting ready to kill Mathyis. "Got any last words, Mathyis?" he asked sadistically, his comrades snickering with him.

"May the Ancients have pity on you." Mathyis said calmly, not even showing a hint of fear despite his situation. "Because my son will not."

* * *

The guard went over to the hook and peered over the wall to see who threw it, only to be grabbed from over his head and hurled over the figure's shoulder and plummet to the ground. The figure then set himself on the walkway and saw other guards approaching from both sides.

* * *

"Son?" the leader chuckled. "Don't make me laugh. There's no rumor of you marrying and having a son, or I would've heard eventually."

"You'd think that." Mathyis said defiantly. "But the fact is I've been able to hide my social life outside the guild well. Not even you could be informed."

The leader of the Saurians felt offended that his intelligence would be inferior to someone like Mathyis and angrily prepared to strike him down. Suddenly, the front doors burst open as two soldiers were thrown through it, alerting everyone. Mathyis smiled happily while the Saurian leader was surprised. When the smoke settled, the figure entered with a bow in hand. Removing the hood from over his head, it was revealed to be a young boy with tan skin, black hair and green eyes. This is Strag, Mathyis' son and a ranger in training.

The young ranger fired some more arrows at some of the Saurians, sending them backwards. he then pulled out a small dagger and stared at the remaining Saurians with an intimidating glare, practically daring them to attack. The warriors however, just stood motionless after the display of marksmanship Strag just demonstrated, feeling a bit scared of what his next move would be. Silence filled the room.

"Boo."

The Saurians immediately screamed at that and quickly scrambled to try and escape, running out the door behind the young ranger or jumping out open windows. Soon enough, the only Saurian left that didn't run was the leader, who looked at Strag with an angry look.

"I take it you're Mathyis' kid?" he asked.

"Yes. And I've come to get my dad back." Strag replied.

The warlord couldn't help but chuckle at Strag's determination before getting into position to fight. "Let's see how skilled you are compared to your father." he declared before charging at him with his sword.

Strag quickly reacted by rolling out of the way of is attack and retaliating with a shot from his bow, hitting the Saurian on the shoulder. The warrior just brushed it off and tried to jump at the young ranger. Strag quickly rolled forward and shot an arrow at his back, this time causing greater pain for the Saurian to take notice. Now angry, the warlord made one last attempt to end the intruder, only for Strag to let loose one more arrow and strike him in the head, finishing him for good.

After taking the keys from his belt, Strag undid the locks to his dad's cage to let him out. "So, how did I do?" he asked him.

"To be honest, I didn't think you'd scare his goons off that easy." Mathyis told him. "I guess they were worried about what the son of one of Elysia's greatest archers was capable of." Both he and his son chuckled at that.

"How did these guys even manage to snag you this easily?" Strag then asked.

"Ah, it happened after I fought a Roarc." Mathyis said. "He put up quite a fight that by the time it was over, I was too exhausted to fight. That's when these mangy lizards jumped me."

"Should've known they'd try a cowardly move like that." Strag said looking at the fallen warlord with a disapproving look. "Taking down a fighter when he's too tired to fight back. How spineless." Mathyis looked at the dead Saurian the same way, sharing his son's opinion.

Up in the second floor, unnoticed by the two rangers, one of the Saurians stayed around and was waiting for the right time to strike them when they had their guard down. He quickly readied his bow and prepared to fire at Strag. Suddenly, a raccoon jumped out and bit him in the leg, causing him to miss his shot and alert Strag, who quickly fired an arrow at the attacker and killed him instantly.

The raccoon scampered down the stairs and came over to Strag, who tickled his chin affectionately. "Thanks, Tony. You've earned extra treats tonight." he said.

Strag then caught sight of a brown owl flying through the broken door and landing on his shoulder. He noticed a note was tied to its leg and removed it, letting the bird leave after. Opening the note, Strag saw what it said and turned to tell his dad. "Dad, we got a message from the guild."

Mathyis took the not to see it for himself. "Hm, old Flyright wants us to represent the Ranger's Guild at Chief Ronal's gathering. Well, we shouldn't disappoint them both." With that, the two rangers and their pet raccoon went out the door and left the castle.

* * *

The gathering was held at Chief Ronal's home island, which was located in the tropical regions. The chief had brown skin and wore a headdress made of feathers and a fur outfit. He stood at the mouth of a pyramid-like temple, watching his tribe arguing with all the others gathered here. There were many different tribes gathered here, such as a group that was dressed like Vikings and one dressed in labcoats. There was even Guildmaster Rudyard from the Warrior's Guild.

Finally, Ronal decided to quiet the masses so they could get down to business. "Silence!"

"The chief has called for silence!" the captain of his warriors called out.

Soon everyone ceased their bickering and gave Ronal their full attention. "That's better. Now, we are gathered here to put our differences aside." he announced to all the gathered tribes. "As far as I'm concerned, we are the last of those that still try to fight off the Hollow King and all those who aid him and his legion of Hollow Knights. Now, we must put our heads together to find a way to defeat him for good."

"I'm afraid that's considered impossible, Ronal." the leader of a tribe of warrior women declined. "From what I've seen, the Hollow King cannot be struck down by any means of attack."

"No matter how hard we strike at him, nothing seems to harm him." a warrior woman joined in. "No sword, nor arrow, nor magic spell can harm him."

"The Hollow King attacked my castle not too long ago." Rudyard told him. "While my fellow warriors managed to survive, none of our strikes so much as even scratched him. And now our castle is in ruins, to serve as an example no doubt."

"I think the time has come for us to face reality." the Alchemist leader sighed. "The Hollow King can never be defeated."

"I refuse to believe that!" Ronal said in defiance. "Nothing is invincible. He has to have a weakness. And if that weakness was to be found, what would you have to say then?"

Everyone took this moment to talk with each other to discuss their opinion of such a scenario. Ronal sat down to wait until they made their decision. The crowd muttered for a short time before Rudyard stepped forward to speak for every one.

"Everyone feels interested in such an idea." he told Ronal. "But even if such a weakness exists, how would we be able to find it?"

"Don't worry, there is one person we can count on." the Chief replied. "I just received word from the Ranger's Guild that Flyright has sent his clan's best archer to represent them."

As if on cue, an arrow suddenly appeared and hit a nearby tree. Everyone turned their attention to the one who shot it. It was two hooded figures that stepped into the center of the crowd, one of them holding a bow. Putting it away, they then removed their hoods to reveal themselves as Mathyis and Strag. Everyone felt surprised from seeing Elysia's legendary ranger here.

"They sent Mathyis?" the Alchemist said surprised. "I know he's very skilled with any form of ranged weapon, but how is he going to find the Hollow King's weak point?"

"From what I've heard, Mathyis has a special gift called the Falcon's Eye." Ronal told him. "It allows him to see his targets even over great distances, which helped him forge his legend." Mathyis didn't even try to deny it and nodded in agreement.

"And who's this?" Ronal's captain gestured to Strag, having never seen him before.

"This young boy is Strag, my son." Mathyis answered.

Everyone gasped at hearing that. Like many of Mathyis' enemies, none of the kingdoms never received any news that Mathyis married and fathered a son. Perhaps the only ones that were aware of it was everyone in the Ranger's Guild, or Strag wouldn't even be a member.

"No one knew you had a son." the Viking leader said in awe.

"Well, I like to keep my family life under wraps, in case my enemies decide to use my wife and son against me." Mathyis explained before turning to Ronal. "Which means that since I have a family to look after, I must respectfully request a form of payment for the missions I take in order to support them."

Ronal stepped up, not even feeling insulted by Mathyis' request, much to his captain's confusion. The chief walked down the stairs and stopped when he reached the bottom. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bag.

"I'm willing to offer you a hundred gold coins in payment for this mission." he told him, much to the captain's objections. "But that's the last of our treasure."

"That may be, captain, but in these dark times, what good could money do for me?" the chief said before turning to his comrades. "If these two find the Hollow King's weak point and strike at it, will you fight?" At this everyone glanced at each other and exchanged smiles to say yes, much to Ronal's joy. "So be it." he said as he tossed the bag to Mathyis, who quickly caught it with one hand.

"As long as one of us still stands, the Hollow King will never hide his secrets." he said glancing to his son with a smile before they both turned to leave the meeting to carry out their mission.

* * *

Mathyis took some time to look at the small bag of coins before closing it and tying it to his belt. He and his son then made their way to the small rowboat-like airship they used to get here and climbed aboard, taking off in an instant.

As they started to relax while taking the journey, Strag suddenly felt like there was something wrong. He calmly scoped the area, trying to find out what it was while his father watched.

"Do you feel like we're not alone, dad?" Strag asked with an uncomfortable look.

"Indeed, son." Mathyis replied, looking around as well.

Suddenly, Strag realized where the feeling was coming from and caught sight of a Thunder Gazer flapping in the distance. He quickly pulled out his bow and sent an arrow flying at the monster, striking it right in the eye and sending it falling into the abyss. The scene zoomed out to show it was farther than one could normally see. This reveals that Strag too has the gift of the Falcon's Eye, just like his dad.

Mathyis could only look proudly at his son. "Well done." he said. Tony came and snuggled under Strag's arm to show support, Strag smiling back at both of them. The three travelers then got back to trying to relax as they continued on their journey to find the Hollow King and see where his weakness lies.


End file.
